Chapter 20: The Game of Chase and Escape
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The blood-red moonlight gathered into a single beam. The light spun ceaselessly among the three people and three salamanders, creating an uncanny sense of a lottery.
Three seconds passed.
The circle of light descended.
It landed on a salamander—the one with the largest head among the three. Let’s call it Bighead for now.
The remaining two were Mediumhead and Littlehead.
At this moment, Bighead opened its enormous mouth, releasing a laugh reminiscent of a baby's, its expression delighting in the game. It vacated its seat, and a white handkerchief suddenly appeared in its grasp. Making strange, infantile noises, Bighead waved its tiny wings and spun about in circles, savoring the game, not in any rush to drop the handkerchief.
In stark contrast, Lin An's experience was far less pleasant. His body was taut, convinced the handkerchief could fall behind him at any moment. The sheer randomness of it all nearly drove him insane.
Lin An focused intently, eyes fixed on Bighead. Once seated, Lin An found he could only turn his head slightly left or right, unable to fully look behind. This made it difficult to see Bighead drop the handkerchief.
According to the rules, the handkerchief would vanish once it touched the ground. Only the one dropping it would know whose back it landed on.
Still, what if... What if his eyes were sharp enough to catch it in the act?
Though unlikely, Lin An felt his 5.3 vision gave him a fighting chance.
Through his efforts, he did notice something odd. When he last glimpsed the handkerchief in Bighead’s hand, Bighead had not yet passed by Huo Qianqian. The next moment, when Lin An managed to turn his head again, Bighead had already walked past his own back, and the handkerchief had disappeared.
This meant the handkerchief could only be behind either Huo Qianqian or himself.
A fifty-fifty chance!
Lin An’s eyes brimmed with tears of joy. At last, he had contributed something to the team.
“The first round of the handkerchief game is complete. All participants return to their seats. Now, it is time for the humans to vote: whose back is the handkerchief behind?”
This time, a one-minute countdown appeared overhead.
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Lin An, visibly excited, hurriedly shared his discovery.
Ye Luo glanced at him in surprise. This kid has sharp eyes.
Bighead moved fast—Ye Luo had tried to watch, but saw nothing.
Lin An was quite pleased with himself. “I'm great at badminton too—my dynamic vision is superb. Sister Ye, now, should we vote for me or Sister Huo? It’s a fifty-fifty shot, you decide.”
Bighead, seated beside Lin An, heard him and displayed a human-like look of annoyance, apparently frustrated that its actions had been seen through.
Ye Luo glanced at Bighead, a subtle smile on her lips.
With a minute of free movement allowed, Ye Luo approached Huo Qianqian and Lin An, speaking quietly to each.
A minute later, the votes were in.
“The human team has voted: Ye Luo. Incorrect. Ye Luo joins the salamander team.”
Ye Luo?
The three salamanders looked up in surprise at Ye Luo.
She waved cheerfully at them.
The next moment, a strange power descended. Ye Luo felt her body shift; she transformed instantly from human to salamander. Wings sprouted from her back.
Curious, Ye Luo fluttered her wings—and, to her astonishment, lifted off the ground. She rose slowly, reaching about a meter in height before a mechanical voice warned her:
“When not instructed, please remain in your seat.”
Ye Luo hurried back, greeting her new companions, Littlehead and Mediumhead. “Hello there.”
The two salamanders seemed bewildered but responded with cheerful chirps.
Bighead rolled his eyes, deep in thought.
“The second round of the chase game will begin shortly. The first round started with the salamander team; the second begins with the human team. In this round, you may turn your head backward. The selected human takes the handkerchief and places it behind any salamander. Upon seeing the handkerchief, the salamander immediately gets up to chase the human. If the human completes a lap and sits in the salamander’s seat before being caught, or if the salamander fails to act and remains seated after the lap, the salamander is eliminated. If the human is caught, the human is eliminated. No one else may give hints. If all members of one side are eliminated or transformed, the game ends and that side loses.”
This rule resembled the traditional handkerchief game—a true chase.
But there was a problem.
The salamanders had wings.
Judging by Bighead’s earlier speed, their agility was formidable.
Lin An and Huo Qianqian, weighed down by countless dark creatures on their shoulders and backs, could barely run at normal speed, let alone keep up with the salamanders.
No wonder these salamanders loved the handkerchief game—it was nearly impossible for them to lose.
At that moment, the beam began to select the next participant.
This time, it was between Huo Qianqian and Lin An.
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In the end, the beam landed on Lin An.
He stood, and a handkerchief appeared in his hand.
The three salamanders stared at him in unison.
Bighead’s eyes rolled, calculating. Of the three, it was the cleverest. Its guess was that the irritating human had deliberately joined the salamander team. The motive was obvious: that man would drop the handkerchief behind her.
Though Ye Luo had transformed into a salamander, her original allegiance was still with the humans. For her to win, the human team had to prevail.
Thus, she would not chase earnestly, letting the man win.
The result: she would be eliminated, and the man would remain.
But such a move was pointless, utterly futile. Even if only one salamander remained, their speed ensured victory.
Sure enough, Lin An spoke: “Sister Ye, I’ll drop it for you.”
Ye Luo tried to respond, but her voice had become nothing but cheerful chirps.
The once-cool Ye Luo had suddenly become a cute creature of this world...
Lin An felt an urge to laugh but resisted.
He began to walk in circles at a leisurely pace.
As he passed between Mediumhead and Ye Luo, the handkerchief dropped.
Mediumhead turned to look back.
But before it could see clearly, Ye Luo had already picked up the handkerchief.
Lin An, paying no heed, sprinted ahead.
Ye Luo fluttered her wings lazily, making no effort to chase.
Bighead squinted.
As expected, this human meant to eliminate herself to protect the man.
The circle was small, and Lin An quickly completed a lap, returning to the spot between Mediumhead and Ye Luo.
He reached out and gently patted Mediumhead.
The next moment, a prompt sounded.
“Salamander failed to act—eliminated.”
Mediumhead was instantly ejected from its position.
Mediumhead: “???”
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